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Woburn Safari Park

Woburn Safari Park in December 2013: eland and white rhino from the car, Amur tigers in the winter sun, and a great grey owl meeting Inga nose to beak.

Between Christmas and New Year 2013 we pointed the car at Woburn Safari Park in Bedfordshire, where the road runs straight through the enclosures and the animals conduct the inspections.

An eland with spiral horns grazing on winter grass, bare woodland and a paddock gate in the background
An eland grazing in the low December sun: the largest of the antelope, wearing it lightly.
A white rhino walking through churned mud with its head low, its front horn nearly touching the ground
A white rhino ploughing through the winter mud. December is not glamour season on the reserve.

The tiger stretch

An Amur tiger walking side-on across leaf-littered grass in low winter sunlight
An Amur tiger on patrol a car length away. Winter is their home season and the coat shows it.
An Amur tiger walking head-on towards the camera across grass scattered with sweet chestnut husks
Head-on and unhurried. This is the moment you re-check the car door locks out of pure instinct.
An Amur tiger standing beside a dark pool among rocks, licking its nose, with winter trees behind
A pause at the pool, tongue out. The cameras worked overtime on this stretch.

On foot

A great grey owl perched on a wooden post, swivelling its head to look back over its shoulder
A great grey owl at the flying display, running a full head-swivel scan of the audience.
A Woburn keeper in a green fleece holding a great grey owl on her glove while Inga, in a fur hat and red scarf, leans in smiling
Formal introductions. Inga dressed for the occasion; the owl remained strictly professional.
A squirrel monkey standing on a wooden rail, eating a piece of fruit held in both hands
In the foot safari section, a squirrel monkey took lunch at the railing and ignored its audience completely.

It made a fine winter sequel to our spring day among the hillside paddocks at Whipsnade, twenty minutes down the road.